Canaloplasty may offer the same results as filtering surgery but with fewer complications

In this best-of-session paper presented at the 2009 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Diamond Y. Tam, MD, reported one-year results from a retrospective study he conducted with Ike Ahmed, MD, comparing canaloplasty and trabeculectomy in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma.

One group of 25 patients underwent nonpenetrating Schlemm's canaloplasty, while the other group of 25 patients underwent trabeculectomy with mitomycin C. At both six months and one-year follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference between the two procedures in terms of IOP reduction (< 18mmHg) or in the number of medications prescribed.

"However, no cases of hypotony were seen in canaloplasty," Dr Tam said. "This procedure may provide open-angle glaucoma patients with an effective, possibly safer alternative to standard trabeculectomy."

The most common complication or adjunctive procedures in the trabeculectomy group was bleb needling (12 percent) and hypotony (8 percent); in the canaloplasty group, it was laser goniopuncture (36 percent), Dr. Tam said.